Home > Consumer Reviews > Hughes GXCEBOT - DVR - TiVo - DIRECTV

This unit is NOT loud and makes no audible noise, that is unless you are in a room that is absolutely dead to sound, and this is the only unit turned on...you might hear something then.

In my system, sound goes out to Martin Logan SL3 speakers, which expose every flaw in the system (reference speakers for many magazines). I have yet to notice anything out of the ordinary -- the sound quality is superb.

The video quality is also superb, as displayed on our Panasonic CT34WX50 16:9 direct view monitor. No issues.

No cons, I have never been more happy with television. Buy this, you won't regret it.

I bought this unit as a second Tivo-DirecTV receiver for a really really low price due to the "echo" problem (if you have one Tivo unit and one non-Tivo receiver and both TVs are on the same channel---such as you're watching a sporting event and one person is cooking while the other entertains---then the sound comes out of the Tivo TV about one second behind the "regular" unit, which is marginally bothersome).

I'm sorry I bought this model and it is going back. I love the Tivo service and my Philips brand unit is a dream. Luckily that's the one in the bedroom. This unit is identical in all respects but one: it has an el-cheapo hard disk with an audible hum. Audible over music. Audible 24/7. It's really annoying. Spend the extra bucks and get a real unit. You'll be very happy you did.

The combination of DirecTV and Tivo is fantastic. Hookup for existing DirecTV customers is relatively simple, requiring only a hook up of existing cables and a phone call to DirecTV (to change access card numbers and to set up your Tivo subscription). This unit can view either Tivo or DirecTV style program directories, and with the automatic software upgrades, can record two channels at the same time (requires two satellite feeds). My only complaints are that the remote has very limited control over TV's, and it doesn't have the nine-channel pop-up favorites box which I used on my original Hughes DirecTV receiver.

I just got my GXCEBOT today and am pretty impressed with it so far. Unit was well packaged, and came with every cable I could conceivably have used (even one to connect the VCR). I did have a weird problem during setup where the screen would go blank, and I'd get a 'Access Card has Expired' message, then the picture would come back for a minute, then go blank again, etc. A quick call to DirecTV (well, quick if you don't count the time on hold) fixed that problem - they just sent some kind of re-init command to the box.

Picture is great, and I have no problems with noisy hard drives or fans. Love the TiVo features. The only disappointing thing was not being able to watch my local cable channels thru the TiVo interface - I know I've seen receivers that can do this, so maybe they'll offer a software upgrade soon.

So overall a big thumbs up for this machine!

TiVo is more than just a glorified VCR. It is a fundamental change in the way television and viewers interact. TiVo enables you to control what you watch and when in a easy, simple format. Now that DirecTV and TiVo are offering this machine for around..., it is an excellent value.

Technically, the Hughes receiver with Tivo is well-made. The box is clean and stylishly designed. The remote is very good, although it lacks more sophisticated controls for the television, such as an input button. I found it to be whisper-quiet. The packaging rivals that of a Dell computer in ease of set-up. I have to mention that the cables included are so good I used them instead of the standard connections I already had.

The picture quality is excellent. Video and audio reproduction is vastly superior to a VCR. The on-screen menus and programming guides load a bit slower than the Hughes DirecTV receiver I previously had, but it is bearable.

What is disturbing is the way TiVo wants to take over your TV watching. For example: your TiVo video library is referred to as "Now Playing". Beneath that listing is "Watch Live TV". TiVo isn't really "playing", it's waiting for you to watch it or delete it. This may seem like semantics, but it is a revealing use of language.

My wife thinks that I watch more TV now. She's right. I watch all the stuff I'd watch if I was home from work sick. It's a great product, but I hope I tire of it soon.